RISK MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE DEPLOYMENT: YOUR GUIDEBOOK TO SUCCESS 32
To show how flexibility can be a powerful ally, here's an illustration
from a retail client. Going into the implementation, their number one
requirement was to implement incident entry capabilities in their new
RMIS in time for Memorial Day. But to meet this deadline, we, as the RMIS
provider, initially set system go-live for before Memorial Day. However,
as we progressed through the implementation, members of the client
team and their pilot users expressed a need for added functionality to
make it easier for the end users to adopt the new system — particularly
employees new to risk management automation.
These added functionalities would ultimately result in less work for the
users responsible for field-level data entry. But because the additions
were substantial, we and the client faced the question of whether to:
(A) push ahead with the initial go-live date, or (B) step back, rework the
implementation slightly and then get back on track.
Looking at the options, the client was convinced of the value they'd get
from faster rates of user adoption since, by building in better functionality,
end users could get back to their "day jobs" more quickly and take to
the system faster. We agreed, and that's the course we took. And we still
came very close to our original go-live date because the system was
easier for new users to learn and adopt.
Ultimately, it was easy to collaboratively arrive at this decision, as both
sides wanted what was best for the project, the client and the users who
would be hands-on with the system.
THE VALUE IN BEING OPEN TO REVISIONS
